Internal Communications

Internal Communications and the Changing Environment

•The workplace today is different – tighter staffing, longer hours, greater workloads, and more emphasis on performance are the norms.
•The increasingly complex and highly competitive nature of today’s business environment puts greater pressure on employees and also calls for concerted effort in the area of internal communications.
“Internal communication is considered a vital tool for binding an organization, enhancing employee morale, promoting transparency and reducing attrition.”
•Today’s employees are increasingly demanding participation in the conversation that is driving the organizational change. In this light, communication should be a two-way process wherein employees feedback will be taken and the senior management act upon it
•Both the long-term and short-term fallout of ineffective internal communication can be damaging for an organization. It can start from the spread of rumors to disillusionment among employees to a gradual destruction of the company’s brand image. Worse, it may also lead to the slow death of the organization.
•Strong internal communications can increase workforce loyalty and productivity and thus will playa vital role in the company’s employee retention and overall success.

Importance of Internal Communications

•It provides information and encourages sharing by driving and supporting the organization’s short-term and long-term goals and objectives.
•It ensures that these initiatives are implemented and followed at a local level.
•It ensures that knowledge sharing and communication processes are part of the daily workflow across all functions of the business.
•It helps drive ownership and shared engagement.

Internal Communication Strategy

•The purpose should be clear.
•The timing and medium are important.
•Language must be used carefully.
•The tools of communication should be effective.
•When people are vulnerable, their tolerance for ambiguity decreases, so they need to be told clearly to feel secure.
•Communication has to be supported by action.

Organizing the Internal Communication Effort

•The best way to access the effectiveness of a company’s internal communication efforts is to determine what employees’ attitude are about the firm. This can be done through a communication audit. Based on audit results, communications professionals can design the right program for the organization
•Management can design the internal communication infrastructure to meet the needs of the employees’ from the audit.

Where Should Internal Communications Report?

•While the ultimate onus of internal communication rests with the HR, it is a shared responsibility since marketing, public relations, corporate affairs and others are all involved in the process..
•Large, multidivisional companies often have internal communications representatives within each division who repot jointly to the chief of staff for divisional management and to a firm wide corporate communication department.
•Internal communication should take place as a series of steps and not as an isolated event.
•Well-planned and delivered internal communication can drive the culture in an organization.
•The most important thing is the credibility of an information source.

An Effective Internal Communication Program

•Communicate Up and down – The best way to communicate with the employees is through informal discussions between employees and supervisors. Making work fun and enjoyable, respecting employees while involving them in decisions and empowering them, are ways in which companies can promote feelings that employees themselves are serving as catalysts for organizational change.
•Making Time for Face-to-Face Meetings – Employees should have access to senior management through regular, in-person meetings. Such meetings should provide employees with an opportunity to ask questions of management in an open forum.

Experience - During my internship at Reliance Industries, I noticed that the head of each department holds meeting with the department members twice a day. This gives employees a chance to ask questions and queries regarding their roles and responsibilities and receive a feedback for the same. Regular meetings like these reduce the gap between the management and the employees and help in improving the management-employee relationship.

•Communicate Online – Companies intranets serve as interactive platforms where employees can rally together and share their views on company programs, activities that contribute to building trust. An effective internal communication strategy should focus on both content and channel, recognizing that the use of simple channels offers the best potential for success.

For example - ICICI InfoTech has made its knowledge management (KM) portal a single window for communication; it includes presentations, information about new clients, and other company details. There is also an active discussion board. Employees can mark their attendance from the KM site, be it anywhere in the globe, including the client site.

•Create Employee-Oriented Publications – The most senior communication official and the CEO should take an interest in company publications to ensure that the employees are getting the real story about what is happening to the country and the industry in the most interesting presentation.

For example - Global consulting firm Arthur D. Little (ADL) publishes a quarterly management journal, called Prism, modeled on publications like the Harvard Business Review, and mails it to clients as well as to managers. In fact, a number of managers use Prism internally with their staffs to help build greater understanding of the firm's focus and specific skill sets. http://www.adlittle.com/insights/prism/

•Communicate Visually – Most large corporations have elaborate television studios with satellite capabilities staffed by professionals. Such sophisticated systems are the best mechanisms for communicating with the employees through the visual channels.
•Focus on Internal Branding - The concept of "employee empowerment" in the corporate world is about the need for a revolutionary, integrated, employee-oriented leadership philosophy, with an emphasis on transformation of an organization by tapping into the full potential of every employee.Focussing attention on employee branding will generate improved employee morale and ultimately, better results for the company.
•Consider the Company Grapevine – The company grapevine – an informal communication network including everything from private conversations between two employees to the latest anecdotes shared in the cafeteria – should be considered as much of a communication vehicle as a company’s house organ or employee meeting.

To retain employees companies have to attract, motivate and appreciate them. This can be done by improving internal communication. Team building, corporate parties, incentives, staff rewards, corporate breaks, etc. can benefit the company a great deal. Such corporate events help to improve workplace environment, employee morale and create a positive climate in the organization. While providing recognition, encouraging teamwork, noticing and rewarding their employees, companies ensure themselves more opportunities to retain their staff.

Thus investing in staff communication pays off. Corporate events such as team building days, incentive activities, and corporate celebrations improve communication between superiors and subordinates and boost relationships in teams, which leads to greater employee satisfaction and loyalty.